


All That You Turned Out to Be

by PrettyTheWorld



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Best Friends Stevie Budd & David Rose, Birthday, Canon Compliant, David Rose Deserves Nice Things, Established Relationship, Family, Friendship, Future Fic, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Patrick Brewer loves David Rose, Self-Esteem Issues, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyTheWorld/pseuds/PrettyTheWorld
Summary: “Wow, you look like someone pissed on your birthday cake,” Stevie’s voice interrupted David's thoughts; he hadn’t even heard the bell jangle as she’d opened the door.“Well, that would require me to have a birthday cake to begin with,” David countered...***Birthdays before Schitt's Creek hadn't meant much to David, but after Patrick, it felt like things had changed. Until this year.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 29
Kudos: 237





	All That You Turned Out to Be

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TrueIllusion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrueIllusion/gifts).



> Happy Birthday, TrueIllusion!!
> 
> I will take ALL the credit for introducing you to Schitt's Creek (forever and ever, LOL), but the beautiful things you've done with these characters are 100% all your own. The least I could do for your birthday was try to give back some of the joy you've given to all of us and give SC fic-writing a first attempt. Love ya! 
> 
> Title borrowed from "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey

David might have anticipated waking up to a lot of things on July 2nd, but a note on Patrick’s pillow -- and no Patrick -- wasn’t one of them.

 _David,_ it read. _Emergency with supplier in Elmdale. Drove out to see what I can pick up myself so we can restock ASAP. Will try to be back in a few hours. HBD. Love, P._

Emergency? Why hadn’t Patrick woken him up? He’d have gone with him to Elmdale to help sort things out. He had the stronger relationship with their suppliers anyway, at least when it came to their merchandise. Now he’d be stuck in the store all day, probably alone, hoping people would flock to their _Clearance_ (can you imagine?!) shelves to rid them of the garish red-white-and-maple-leaf saturated accoutrements that occupied far too much of their square footage. As it turned out, Canadians were equally as invested in celebrating their country as Americans.

And besides all of that, speaking of celebrations, it was his _birthday._

Until they’d moved to Schitt’s Creek, David hadn’t given his birthday much of a thought. He’d endured years of nearly everyone in his life -- including his parents and sister -- forgetting about the day, or treating it as an afterthought when it was brought to their attention. Half the time, Alexis had been several continents away, cavorting with an Arabian prince, or snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef with Chris Hemsworth. (David was still bitter about that one, nevermind that snorkeling was not his thing.) Moira and Johnny were often left to their own devices, barely aware of what day it was, let alone what their son had going on in his own life -- and perhaps as time went on, in his own ways, David had encouraged it. 

But in more recent years, things had changed. The Rose family had changed. _David_ had changed. Birthdays had started to matter. And for that, in large part, David had Patrick to thank. Patrick, who, early on, had given David one of the best birthdays of his life simply by caring about him -- ultimately leading David to make the move that brought them to where they ended up.

And yes, Patrick had acknowledged in his note that he remembered the date, except David hadn’t anticipated that _this_ birthday would begin alone in bed, with no husband in sight -- no gifts on the bed, no coffee waiting on the nightstand, no garish banner on the wall (though maybe thank god for that). Plus, without Patrick there to nudge him along, he was on the verge of being late for work. 

David knew he had to rush, which also meant hurrying through his nine-step skincare regimen that he had briefly contemplated shortening, and then refused (“I can at least do something for myself today,” he’d muttered, carefully arranging the bottles of cleanser, toner, and various creams in sequential order on the countertop). 

When he finally made it down to the kitchen, his last glimmer of hope for the morning was snuffed out as he realized Patrick hadn’t left him a special birthday breakfast -- or anything at all -- either. As he quickly toasted an English muffin, it also dawned on him that, with Patrick in Elmdale, he’d have to walk to work. 

_What the fuck, is it 2008 again?_ he thought to himself bitterly as he made his way through the familiar streets, toward the main street, wondering how, after finally having a few years of decent birthdays, he was back in a place he’d never hoped to revisit again -- feeling unnoticed, unwanted, uncelebrated. The upside, he supposed, was that he knew full well how to exist in that space, no matter how badly the thought of it stabbed at his insides. 

Fortunately, once David arrived at work, he had the store to keep him busy, as there was a steady influx of customers throughout the morning. He was pleased to see that while, as Patrick had predicted, the discounted holiday items were incredibly popular, most customers were also selecting items from their regularly priced merchandise. David had even managed to upsell at least three new customers, explaining to them the expanded skin benefits of goat milk by combining Rose Apothecary’s specially formulated jelly cleanser with its complementary skin milk and Broad Spectrum SPF primer. 

David was feeling pretty proud of himself by the time his lunch break rolled around, especially considering that their sales average seemed higher than normal, and he’d been managing the store entirely by himself. There was a lull in customers, so he finally pulled his phone out of his pocket, only to find one missed text from Patrick that brought him back to the reality of the day.

 _Taking longer than expected, sorry. Probably won’t be back for awhile. You’ve got this!_ 💘

David sighed and set his phone on the counter, not trusting himself to send a response free of the bitter self-loathing building inside of him yet again.

“Wow, you look like someone pissed on your birthday cake,” Stevie’s voice interrupted David's thoughts; he hadn’t even heard the bell jangle as she’d opened the door.

“Well, that would require me to have a birthday cake to begin with,” David countered, noticing that his best friend had a hand tucked behind her back. A small flicker of hope ignited in his stomach.

Stevie nodded seriously. “That’s true… and I can’t help there, but would a birthday cinnamon roll make up for it?” She pulled her hand from behind her back to reveal an extra-gooey looking pastry with a candle stuck in its middle.

“This might surprise you,” David whispered, his voice cracking, “but I’m not ashamed to admit that you could possibly be my favorite person on the planet right now.” 

Stevie’s eyes widened. “Then it _must_ be bad.”

David snorted and shook his head, a frown pulling at his lips, but he didn’t respond.

“Where’s Patrick?” Stevie asked casually, as if suddenly just realizing that David was alone. 

“Elmdale, I guess,” David shrugged. “We had a huge shipment of new merchandise expected to replace all of the Canada Day shit, and it was delayed. Patrick apparently decided that the most _important_ thing he could do today was drive 30 miles away, _alone_ , to pick some of it up.”

“Right, because there’s _nothing_ else important that he could’ve done here...” Stevie trailed off knowingly.

David sighed. “It’s just that I thought…” He stopped himself, closing his eyes for a moment and shaking his head. “It’s fine,” he said unconvincingly. “I’m fine.” 

Stevie nodded. “That was incredibly persuasive. But, maybe I can still help you out...”

David raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Oh?”

Stevie reached into the shoulder bag she was carrying and pulled out two items -- an expensive bottle of red wine with a gold bow stuck to its front, and a small package wrapped in what appeared to be reused tissue paper from the store.

“You got me presents?” David asked, immediately feeling tears spring to his eyes. 

Stevie shrugged, seeming to appear indifferent, which made David even more curious about what was inside the package. He quickly tore off the wrapping to find a box from a jeweler in Elm Grove and gave Stevie a curious look before opening its lid and carefully lifting out a black braided multi-strand leather bracelet with a silver clasp. As David turned it around in his hand, he noticed that the face of the clasp had been engraved with his new initials.

“I know it’s probably not what you’re used to,” Stevie said nervously, clearly not sure of how to interpret David’s non-reaction, “but, it’s--”

“--It’s perfect,” David interrupted, looking up at her and pressing his lips together in an attempt to contain his emotion. “Thank you.” 

Stevie let out her own watery laugh and smiled, reaching out to offer David assistance with putting on the bracelet. Once it was fastened, he gave his wrist a once-over in admiration and offered his best friend a grateful smile.

“I’m glad you like it,” Stevie said, seeming relieved.

David shook his head, smiling shyly. “I love it.” 

Stevie stayed with David until the store started to pick up again, and then headed back to the Motel, promising that she’d call him later, and that she hoped his day got better. During the next lull in customers, he finally sent a response to Patrick, simply asking if he was able to pick up any of the shipment, but didn’t get another response before he had to return to work.

A half hour before the store was scheduled to close, Patrick finally texted again. _Yes, got everything I could. Will be back within the hour. Mind picking up dinner at the Cafe?_

David sighed, and tried to push down his emotions as much as possible, steeling himself against the sickening wave of disappointment that threatened to surge into his stomach. 

_I guess we’re doing inventory and stocking tonight? And sure. Usual?_

Patrick’s response came back almost immediately. _That’s the plan. Thanks. You’re the best. See you soon!_ 😘

So, not only was his birthday being completely glossed over, but now he had to buy his own birthday meal? David sent back a thumbs up emoji, hoping that his frustration didn’t somehow carry in the single image, but Patrick didn’t respond again, so it seemed he was safe. 

Aside from some great client interaction, the other upside to a busy sales day was that the vast majority of their Canada Day merchandise had been depleted, due to the reduced pricing, and just a few maple leaf soaps, small decorative flags, and bags of gourmet red and white dipped pretzels remained, so David quickly updated their inventory form to reflect their seasonal items and consolidated the display to one shelf, hoping it would buy a little time later in the evening.

By the time David headed over to Cafe Tropical, he imagined Patrick would be arriving back in Schitt’s Creek anytime, and might even beat him back to the store. During the brief walk, he contemplated what he might order, figuring that he deserved a little bit of a splurge from his usuals. Ordering anything “outside the box” at the cafe was akin to taking one’s life in their own hands, but David was craving comfort food to compensate for his failed birthday, and really, how badly could anyone _really_ mess up fried chicken and mac’n’cheese-- 

“SURPRISE!”

David had been so occupied by his food thoughts, and so on auto-pilot that he’d walked into the darkened cafe without even realizing the discrepancy until the lights burst on and the exclamation forced him back to reality.

“Wha-- _Oh my GOD!_ ” He felt like a deer in headlights as he looked around, feeling slight deja vu back to Patrick’s birthday surprise party, but this time, it had genuinely and legitimately been a surprise. As he took in the enthusiastic crowd surrounding him, grinning at what he imagined was a completely flabbergasted expression, he realized just _how_ similar to Patrick’s surprise party it was -- right down to the guest list. He could feel his eyes welling up as he began to look around.

He definitely wasn’t expecting to see his in-laws for his birthday, but sure enough, there stood Marcy and Clint Brewer, beaming at him, Marcy’s hands clasped at her chest to indicate how touched she was by David’s reaction. With a quarter-turn to his left, reality truly kicked in, and David began to sob in earnest.

“Mom? Dad? … Alexis!?” he gasped through his tears, moving toward his family, pulling them all into his arms at once. 

“Happy Birthday, Son!” Johnny’s ebullient words were muffled by David’s shoulder, but it was clear that all three of the Roses were feeling a bit emotional from their reunion.

“My bébé,” Moira gushed, carefully angling her head to prevent any crushing of the elaborate black feathered fascinator that adorned her chic blonde wig. 

“Surprise, David!” Alexis added, squeezing her brother tightly around his waist. 

When David stepped back from their rare group hug, someone handed him a tissue, and he quickly wiped his eyes and blew his nose before finding enough of a voice to say, “I can’t believe you’re all here! I was…” he stopped himself and laughed. “Well, quite frankly, I was really fucking mad that none of you called me today, but, um.” He closed his eyes and shook his head in amused acquiescence. “I guess you had a good reason. Given that you were flying here and all.” 

“And accolades to your bridegroom for that arrangement!” Moira grandly informed him, and suddenly David noticed the one person he hadn’t yet acknowledged -- his husband, standing a few paces from their families, happily watching the scene he’d orchestrated come to fruition. 

“You…” David said quietly, a smile teasing his lips as he moved over to Patrick, kissing him, and then enveloping him in a tight hug. In the safety of Patrick’s neck, he whispered, “I thought you’d forgotten.” 

He knew Patrick had heard the confession by the way he tightened his arms, but he didn’t respond, instead pulling back a second later and encouraging David to greet the rest of his guests, with the promise that they’d talk later. 

“Yeah, don’t be ungrateful, David,” came Stevie’s teasing voice from behind him, and he turned to face her, a smirk on his face.

“You little _B_. You knew all this time and encouraged my suffering,” he accused, though he was clearly impressed with her ability to keep him in the dark.

“And ruin this moment? I don’t regret a damn thing!” She made a face at him, but then smiled, wrapping her arms around him. “Happy Birthday. You deserve it.” 

It took David about twenty minutes to make his way around to the rest of the guests, which constituted the majority of Schitt’s Creek’s residents, eventually ending up back at the front of the room with his husband, best friend, and in-laws. Moira and Johnny had found their way to Roland and Jocelyn, Alexis was chatting animatedly with Twyla, and David found that seeing them fit back into their old stomping ground so seamlessly warmed him more than he expected -- and not just because the old air conditioner in the cafe was having a hard time keeping up with such a huge crowd amidst the July temperature. 

David was catching up with the Brewers when there was the squeal of microphone feedback, followed by Patrick’s voice. 

“Hi everyone, can I have your attention?”

The muffled chatter of the crowd slowed to silence, and David glanced around, finally spotting his husband standing behind the counter, next to Twyla. Several covered chafing dishes now lined the surface in front of him, and David’s mouth watered as he suddenly remembered that his original intent for the cafe had been ordering dinner. 

“Thanks everyone for joining us to celebrate my husband, the incomparable and amazing David Brewer-Rose!” Patrick continued, grinning at David as cheers and applause erupted from the crowd. “Also, a special thank you to David’s parents and sister, Mr. and Mrs. Rose and Alexis for making their first trip back to Schitt’s Creek to celebrate with us!”

After an announcement that the dinner buffet was about to open, to be followed by music and cake (much to David’s relief), Patrick motioned David to the counter to assume the coveted role of first in line. He was thrilled to see that apparently, his husband knew him _very_ well in his menu selection and filled his plate with the fried chicken and mac and cheese he’d been craving, along with crabcakes (ordered in a reasonable quantity), and an assortment of some of his favorite sides. 

Following dinner, Patrick slipped away from David’s side again, taking their fathers with him, only to emerge moments later wheeling out a huge round tiered cake. Each of the three layers was covered with black and white fondant patterned to resemble one of David’s favorite designer sweaters. Sparkler candles (that David suspected might have been snagged from the Apothecary’s holiday merchandise) dotted the edges of the cake. Once Twyla dimmed the lights, the cake created quite a spectacular display, and David basked in its glow, finding it hard to believe that it was all for him. 

Once the sparklers burned out, Patrick reached out to light one single candle at the center of the top layer of the cake, and then held out his hands conductor-style, leading the group to sing “Happy Birthday,” complete with the Jazzagals’ beautiful harmony. 

“I just…” David began when they finished. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Then make a wish and blow out the candle before you get wax in our cake!” Roland called out good-naturedly from where he and Jocelyn were standing with Roland Jr. 

David laughed and then took a deep breath, easily blowing out the candle. As everyone clapped and cheered again, he simply looked out at his friends and family and mouthed, “Thank you.”

The rest of the evening was filled with great conversation as the town enjoyed a reunion with the Rose family, alongside celebrating one of their favorite permanent residents. Though live entertainment had seemed unplanned, Jocelyn managed to convince Moira to join the Jazzagals to sing a few songs for old time’s sake, and then Twyla convinced Patrick to take a turn at the mic, where David began to wonder how unintentional the whole idea had actually been, especially considering Patrick’s guitar had apparently been waiting behind the counter.

“This one goes out to the birthday boy -- and the love of my life,” he began, then cleared his throat before singing, “Treated me kind, sweet destiny. Carried me through desperation, to the one that was waiting for me…” 

David’s clasped hands immediately flew to his mouth as he tried to conceal the huge grin that erupted on his face while his ears registered his husband’s folky, and incredibly sexy rendition of one of his longtime favorite Mariah Carey songs.

“I had a vision of love, and it was all that you’ve given to me,” Patrick continued into the chorus, looking directly at David, his eyes twinkling as he sang.

When the song finished, David burst forward, trying to be mindful of Patrick’s guitar as his hands reached to gently grasp his husband’s jaw and pull him in for a tender kiss. 

“Happy Birthday, David,” Patrick whispered when they separated, and then kissed him again. 

David looked down bashfully when they separated, then looked back up to Patrick’s questioning eyes. “I just can’t believe you sang me Mariah again.” 

Patrick grinned. “Well, I told you you’d always be _my_ Mariah, David. I figured I just have to keep doing what I can to make sure I’m _yours_.”

The rest of the evening was accompanied by a playlist Alexis provided, claiming she’d procured it during her stint in Ibiza, filling in for Paris Hilton as a DJ, and while it left something to be desired, it gave David the opportunity to spend more time with his family, including his in-laws. He was even more ecstatic to learn that all of their out-of-town guests would be staying through the weekend. 

By the time the festivities wound down, just David and Patrick were left, having just sent their respective parents and Alexis to the motel for the night, their accommodations compliments of Stevie. They said their thanks to Twyla and the cafe staff before walking back over to the Apothecary to close up.

“So… the inventory?” David asked after Patrick unlocked the doors to let them back inside.

Patrick grinned. “It’ll be delivered tomorrow.”

David’s head tilted and brow furrowed. “So you didn’t do _anything_ work-related in Elmdale today?

“I did. I arranged the delivery for tomorrow,” Patrick repeated. “I couldn’t realistically bring anything back with your parents and Alexis in the car. I needed every last inch for your mom’s luggage.”

“I see,” David nodded, snorting. “So you spent all day waiting for them to fly in, or what?”

“I’ve been busy,” Patrick admitted. “My parents got in this morning, so Stevie helped them settle in at the Motel, then Alexis’s flight got in first and I picked her up, so she helped me run a few errands for the party, and after lunch, your parents’ flight arrived, so we picked them up and came back to the cafe to finish setting up and trying to get the guests inside without you seeing.”

David moved toward his husband, wrapping his arms around him again, then pursed his lips teasingly. “You _know_ I hate surprises.”

“I know,” Patrick said, his tone matching David’s, but then he sobered. “And _I_ hate purposely putting you in situations that trigger your anxiety and insecurities, and make you question whether or not I love you more than life itself, but what’s done is done, and I guess we both have to live with the consequences.” 

“You knew.” It wasn’t a question.

Patrick nodded apologetically. “I had a feeling. I was just really, really hoping that the outcome would be worth it in the end, and that you would see not only how much _I_ love you, but everyone in our life too.” 

David placed a firm kiss on Patrick’s lips. “You are amazing. I can’t believe you did _all_ of this for me.

“You don’t deserve anything less,” Patrick murmured back. “And,” he continued, “I asked Twyla to save the top tier of the cake for you. We can pick it up tomorrow.”

“If I hadn’t already married you, I’d do it again. That cake was fucking delicious.”

Patrick smiled and hugged David tightly. “I’d marry you a million times if I could. Even without cake.”

David hid a smile against Patrick’s shoulder, then pulled back. “That’s… quite a compliment.”

“Well you’re quite a person. And you’ll always be worth every effort to me. Don’t forget that.” Though Patrick’s tone was gentle, it was also firm.

“Duly noted,” David said, his eyes beginning to glimmer again. “Thank you.” 

Patrick smiled, and before leaning in for another kiss, whispered, “Happy Birthday, David.” 

And as David got lost in his husband’s lips, bathed in the dim light of the store that had brought them together in more ways than one, he had to admit that it was. It had, in fact, been _simply the best_.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't decided if this foray into the Schitt's Creek fandom will stick or not. Comments/Validation accepted as bribes/encouragement ;)


End file.
